1 In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakima king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzarb king of Babylonc came to Jerusalem and besieged it.d2 And the Lord delivered Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, along with some of the articles from the temple of God. These he carriede off to the temple of his god in Babyloniaa and put in the treasure house of his god.f

3 Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, chief of his court officials, to bring into the king’s service some of the Israelites from the royal family and the nobilityg—4 young men without any physical defect, handsome,h showing aptitude for every kind of learning,i well informed, quick to understand, and qualified to serve in the king’s palace. He was to teach them the languagej and literature of the Babylonians.b5 The king assigned them a daily amount of food and winek from the king’s table.l They were to be trained for three years,m and after that they were to enter the king’s service.n

6 Among those who were chosen were some from Judah: Daniel,o Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah.p7 The chief official gave them new names: to Daniel, the name Belteshazzar;q to Hananiah, Shadrach; to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, Abednego.r

8 But Daniel resolved not to defiles himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way. 9 Now God had caused the official to show favort and compassionu to Daniel, 10 but the official told Daniel, “I am afraid of my lord the king, who has assigned yourc food and drink.v Why should he see you looking worse than the other young men your age? The king would then have my head because of you.”

11 Daniel then said to the guard whom the chief official had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, 12 “Please testw your servants for ten days: Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink. 13 Then compare our appearance with that of the young men who eat the royal food, and treat your servants in accordance with what you see.”x14 So he agreed to this and testedy them for ten days.

15 At the end of the ten days they looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food.z16 So the guard took away their choice food and the wine they were to drink and gave them vegetables instead.a

17 To these four young men God gave knowledge and understandingb of all kinds of literature and learning.c And Daniel could understand visions and dreams of all kinds.d

18 At the end of the timee set by the king to bring them into his service, the chief official presented them to Nebuchadnezzar. 19 The king talked with them, and he found none equal to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah; so they entered the king’s service.f20 In every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king questioned them, he found them ten times better than all the magiciansg and enchanters in his whole kingdom.h

About The New International Version

The NIV is the world’s most read and trusted contemporary English Bible translation. It follows the principle of "dynamic equivalence" to ensure crystal clear understandable English. The NIV is the most readable English Bible ever produced.

Copyright

Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 Biblica, Inc.™

Used by Permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

“New International Version” and “NIV” are registered trademarks of Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission.

The NIV® text may be quoted in any form (written, visual, electronic or audio), up to and inclusive of five hundred (500) verses without the express written permission of the publisher, providing the verses quoted do not amount to a complete book of the Bible nor do the verses quoted account for twenty-five percent (25%) or more of the total text of the work in which they are quoted.

Notice of copyright must appear on the title or copyright page as follows:

The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

When quotations from the NIV® text are used by a local church in non-saleable media such as church bulletins, orders of service, posters, overhead transparencies, or similar materials, a complete copyright notice is not required, but the initials (NIV®) must appear at the end of each quotation.

Any commentary or other biblical reference work produced for commercial sale, that uses the NIV® text must obtain written permission for use of the NIV® text.

Permission requests for commercial use within the USA and Canada that exceeds the above guidelines must be directed to, and approved in writing by The Zondervan Corporation, 5300 Patterson Ave. SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49530, USA. www.Zondervan.com

Permission requests for commercial use within the UK, EU and EFTA that exceeds the above guidelines must be directed to, and approved in writing by Hodder & Stoughton Limited, 338 Euston Road, London NW1 3BH, United Kingdom. www.Hodder.co.uk

Any Internet addresses (websites, blogs, etc.) and telephone numbers printed in this Bible are offered as a resource. They are not intended in any way to be or imply an endorsement by Zondervan, nor does Zondervan vouch for the content of these sites and numbers for the life of the Bible.